Kantarawaddy Times
According to locals, civilians trapped in villages on the eastern side of Pekhon Lake in southern Shan State are living in fear as the military junta continues to fire heavy weapons at them daily.
The shelling mainly comes from the junta forces based in Pekhon and Loilin, a local man told Kantarawaddy Times.
“They fire almost every day. The shells come from both the Loilin and Pekhon sides. The villages are very close to one another. If the military enters, they can easily move between villages. Some people have moved to the hills, but the shells are landing even in the hills,” the local man said.
So far, there have been no reported civilian casualties from the recent daily shelling, he added.
These villages have been trapped since July 10, when the military junta regained control over Moebye and the Moebye-Loikaw highway.
Another local man said the trapped civilians have no way to escape, and the situation on the ground makes it impossible for anyone to get in and help evacuate them.
“Those who are trapped are still there. They haven’t been able to leave. No one from the outside can go in and get them out. Even if someone has managed to escape, he or she still worries about the family members left behind,” he said.
On July 18, due to the artillery shelling targeting villages on the eastern side of Pekhon Lake, there were 5 civilians dead and 7 injuries, according to a statement by the Karenni National Defense Force (KNDF).
Currently, tens of thousands of people from villages on the eastern side of Pekhon Lake have already fled due to joint assaults by the military junta forces and the Pa-O National Organization (PNO), while tens of thousands more civilians remain trapped inside the villages, according to local sources.
